Voter turnout 70 % in 2nd phase of local polls

Kathmandu, June 28:

With more than 70.5 per cent voters turn out, the second phase of local level elections held in provinces 1, 5, and 7 was a huge success, said the Election Commission of Nepal (ECN).

According to the preliminary estimates of the Election Commission of Nepal 70.5 per cent voters cast their votes in 8,364 polling stations in 334 local bodies of the three provinces.

Elections were held in 1 metropolitan city, 7 sub-metropolitan cities, 111 municipalities and 215 rural municipalities.

Voter turnout might go up, said the election management body.

Likewise, 62,408 candidates were in the fray in those local units for 15,038 posts – 119 mayors and deputy mayors each, 215 chairmen and deputy chairmen, 2,874 ward chairmen, woman members and dalit women members each, and 5,748 ward member (open).

“The highest voters turn out was seen in Bajura district where 80 per cent people cast their ballots while Bhojpur witnessed only 61 per cent of the total voters exercising their franchise rights which is the lowest in the 35 districts where the elections were held in the second phase,” said Dr. Ayodhi Prasad Yadav, Chief Election Commissioner, at a special press meet organised at the ECN.

The first phase of local level polls in provinces 3, 4 and 6 a month-and-a-half ago saw 73 per cent vote casting.

CEC Dr. Yadav said that people braved the rain, in some places all along the day, to exercise their franchise while polling began late due to heavy rain in some locations.

“The Election Commission received utmost support from political parties, candidates, local civil society and other stakeholders in successfully implementing elections by managing tarpaulin sheets and other materials needed for the safety of ballot box and voters in the rain,” said Dr. Yadav.

Election was halted in polling centres ‘A’ and ‘B’ at Pandu Secondary School Polling Station in Jaya Prithvi Municipality of Bajhang district. As disputes erupted after a senior citizen sought help from a youth to cast his vote, voting was stopped there, said ECN.

Likewise, no votes were cast in ward number 6 of Necha rural municipality in Solukhumbu district, and only two votes were cast in a polling station in Sarawal of Nawalparasi district.

According to the EC, the ballot boxes were being carried to the Office of the Chief Election Officer, and the vote counting might start from tonight following a meeting of election officers and political parties.

The Chief Election Officer (CEO) and election officers set date and time for vote counting after the consultation with the political parties.

Meanwhile, Dr. Yadav said that the EC had directed the Chief District Officers to manage additional human resource, vote counting desk, physical facilities, security provisions and observers so as to conclude the vote counting as early as possible.

In the first phase of the local polls, it took about two weeks to conclude vote counting in some of the local units.

The EC has urged all the political parties and candidates to respect the peoples votes and stay calm during the vote counting process.

There are 6.4 million voters in the three provinces where the second phase elections were held – 2.67 million in province 1, and 2.45 million in province 5 and 1.3 million in province 7.

The country has 14.05 million voters. Election to choose the representatives in the Province 2 is slated for September 18.